Sketches
by chayashix
Summary: Implied Levi x Mikasa. Slight warning for language. Ch. 1 Connie's Mistake: In which Connie is an artist, Mikasa gets angry and Levi's cravats are ruined. Ch. 2 Levi's Discipline: Starring abused!Connie, tsundere!Mikasa, and sadistic!Levi. Ch. 3 Mikasa's Revenge: coming soon!
1. Chapter 1: Connie's Mistake

_Written for RivaMika Week, Day 3_  
_Prompt: Red - A state of light to medium embarrassment_  
_Summary: In which Connie is an artist, Mikasa gets angry and Levi's cravats are ruined._

_Sketch mentioned in story is inspired by: 傷じゃないのよエレンくん by 川中みや＠FOW4 S04 on Pixiv__  
_

_A/N: This is actually my first complete and posted fanfic; all hail the power of the RivaMika ship! *runs away to hide*_

* * *

Mikasa Ackerman closed her eyes, drinking deeply of the warm summer air as she stepped across the grass. It was the last ten minutes of the lunch hour, and she had taken the opportunity to enjoy a stroll around the grounds of the Survey Corps' base. Despite being a military facility, its surroundings were surprisingly easy on the eye, and as Mikasa gazed over the rolling hills in the distance, she felt an unusual calm wash over her. It was one of those rare moments where she could truly relax: they were not on a mission, she was not under the shadow of a looming titan, and Eren was safe within the castle nearby –

"Uh, I'm not sure I'm really comfortable with this."

Eren's voice drifted faintly to her ears from somewhere in the distance. _He was supposed to be having another cup of coffee in the dining room,_ thought Mikasa. Instinctively she turned her steps towards the direction of her brother's voice, as a familiar sense of concern began to creep into the place where peace had been just moments before. _Why is he outside, and more importantly – what, or who, is troubling him?_

"You know, for once I agree with Jaeger. I don't like this one bit." Jean's rough and angry voice reverberated in the still heat. "You've got some nerve, throwing such a thing in front of us like that." Mikasa felt slightly assured at this, but did not slow her pace. _At least Eren's not alone, and Jean seems to be on his side for once. He will protect Eren until I get there._

"But wow, Connie… you're really quite… good… at this, aren't you." Another voice she could recognize anywhere – Armin's. His words spoke of a compliment, but his tone was another thing altogether. She could read the emotions in it well due to years of association: surprise, as well as genuine admiration, but also laced with an unmistakable sense of unease. _Something not immediately threatening, but worthy of caution nonetheless. _Mikasa began to walk a little faster. Eren didn't always read or respond to situations correctly, but Jean was getting better at it and Armin's judgment was nearly invariably right.

"Aww, come on guys! You have to admit they are **hot** together."

She finally spotted the group as she turned the corner of the building. The four of them were gathered around the back steps of the castle entrance – Jean with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, Eren with his hands shoved in his pockets and kicking at a tuft of grass on the ground. Armin was in one of his classic thinking poses: one arm folded across his chest, the hand of the other lifted to his chin as he rested the weight of his head on his knuckles. All three of them were pointedly averting their eyes from the thin stack of papers that Connie was eagerly waving under their noses.

"What's going on?"

The four boys nearly jumped out of their boots at the sound of Mikasa's inquiry. They spun around abruptly to face her, while Connie desperately tried to stuff the stack of papers down his pants behind his back. One sheet slipped out of his hands and drifted behind the stairs, but the culprits were too flustered to notice.

As usual, quick-thinking Armin was first to recover. "H-hey Mikasa, taking a walk?"

Mikasa's eyes narrowed at this suspicious display of behavior. The stack of papers was out of sight, but all four of them were now clearly avoiding looking at **her**.

"Yes I was… what is going on?" she repeated, as they all began to shift uncomfortably.

"Oh nothing, we were just, er, having a chat, you know", said Armin, as he laughed lightly. He really wasn't fooling her and he knew it, but plowed on nonetheless. "Anyway! We should get going. We have to saddle up the horses in time for this afternoon's training. See ya later, Mikasa!"

Turning on his heel, he ushered the other three a little too quickly towards the direction of the stables. She watched their retreating backs, keeping an eye on the stack of papers sticking out from Connie's waistband, which the short Survey Corps jacket was doing a poor job of concealing. She started after them, but paused when she noticed the lone piece of paper fluttering lightly in the breeze as she passed the stairs. _Alright, let's see what these jokers were trying to hide_, she muttered to herself as she bent over to pick it up.

Flipping the paper over, she found herself looking at a picture – apparently drawn by Connie, if she had understood the earlier conversation correctly. The sketch was rendered loosely in pencil and showed her and… _Captain Levi?…_ in a rather… _compromising_ position. Momentarily dumbstruck, Mikasa stood stock still for about three seconds before disgust took over and she crushed the flimsy sheet furiously between her palms. _What the hell. I'm so going to burn this,_ she fumed as she stalked up the stairs and into the castle._ Where can I get some match—_

"Oi, Ackerman."

Mikasa paused in mid stomp. _Of all the people…_

"Have you seen Springer?"

Mikasa brought her feet together slowly, but stopped short of turning in the direction of his voice. _What is __**wrong**__ with the world today? Everyone is going crazy. Levi __**never**__ asks for Connie outside of training… even during training he avoids Connie like the plague because he's such an idiot at battle strategy. What could he possibly want with him right n– oh no. _ Mikasa's hand clenched the crumpled ball of paper in her fist as the switches clicked in her head. _No. No __**way**__._

Steeling her expression, she swiveled her head towards him and looked him dead in the eye. His countenance was stone cold, as usual.

"Why are you looking for him, sir?"

Levi arched his eyebrow in response. _Oh? This is new. Ackerman is unusually chatty today, huh._

"He owes me something," he replied, in a clipped tone. His mild amusement at Ackerman's unexpected query escalated into full-blown astonishment as she whipped her head around suddenly, but not quite fast enough for him to miss the shock in her eyes and the drop of her jaw.

"No sir, I'm afraid I haven't seen Connie. Now if you'll excuse me." The words rushed out of Mikasa's mouth as she moved quickly down the hall, first walking, then trotting, then breaking into a full sprint as she rounded the corner, flew up the stairs to her room and slammed the door behind her.

She slumped against the door and closed her eyes. _This is ridiculous_, she thought, as she felt her heartbeat pounding in her ears. A succession of emotions washed over her – annoyance, disbelief, anger… it was then she realized she was still clutching that damned piece of paper in her hand. Slowly, Mikasa unfurled it and stared at the rough outlines. The pencil version of her had her eyes closed and lips slightly parted. Her face was turned away from pencil-Levi who was apparently… _licking_… her neck. Her cheeks and Levi's tongue had been tinted a faint shade of pink – the only spots of color on an otherwise monochrome sketch.˙

An unfamiliar sensation began to twist deep down inside Mikasa as she continued to study the paper. And as it grew, it spread from her belly, up to her chest, through the pounding of her ears, and finally manifested on her face in a blush mirroring that of her inanimate counterpart. No, in fact the real Mikasa's blush was much deeper than the one on paper, threatening to match the color of the scarf she tried to bury her mortified face in.

* * *

"The **fuck**, Springer."

Levi crossed his arms and glowered at the shaven head bowed low in front of him as the boy stood in the doorway of his office. In Connie's outstretched and trembling hands were a stack of his white cravats. Or at least, at one time they had been perfectly white.

"I'm extremely sorry, sir! I had them washed just like you said, but somehow they came out like… this…" Connie faltered. _I am so, so screwed_, he thought.

Levi glared again at the stack of cravats, now dyed a sickly, pale yellow. Clearly, the kid had forgotten to separate his whites and had soaked his superior's pristine cravats together with his own murky brown (and probably filthy) uniform jacket. Levi pinched the bridge of his nose with the fingers of his right hand before slowly, painfully, running his palm down his face.

"Not only are you useless at training, it seems it's possible that you're even **more** useless at getting punished. **Moron**." Levi snatched the stack of ruined cravats out of Connie's hands. "Dismissed. I've had enough headaches from you today already."

Connie gave a quick salute, turned on his heel and ran down the hall before the captain could change his mind. _I can't believe my luck,_ he thought. _I thought for sure I was going to be put on floor-scrubbing duty for the rest of the year…_

He failed to notice a single, forgotten piece of paper dislodging itself from the back of his pants and landing at Captain Levi's feet as he made his hasty escape. Unfortunately for Connie, said captain was well-known for his shady but sharp eyes.

Levi retrieved the paper from the floor and studied it carefully. His face betrayed no emotion as his eyes roamed over the sheet.

Turning around, Levi walked over to his desk, closing his office door behind him. He opened the top drawer and slipped the pencil sketch inside, before pushing it shut and securing it firmly with a tiny key. As he dropped the key inside his pants pocket, a smirk began to pull at the corner of his mouth.

_Seems that Springer is not completely useless after all_…


	2. Chapter 2: Levi's Discipline

_Starring abused!Connie, tsundere!Mikasa, and sadistic!Levi._

_A/N: Chapter 3: Mikasa's Revenge, coming soon!_

* * *

"My office, Ackerman. **NOW**."

Levi twisted her wrist firmly and rather painfully before flinging it towards the ground, to make sure she got the message – he had barely made it in time to stop her punch from breaking Springer's nose. Ackerman was completely out of line for a training spar; the moron had clearly lost the moment she had flipped him onto his back. Yet here she was, straddling the boy and about to smash her fist into his terrified face.

True, even on a normal day Ackerman could beat the shit out of Springer. Except that today, she looked like she wanted to do just that.

_Actually it's not just today,_ the captain mused as they trudged in sullen silence across the field and into the building. He had noticed that she had become increasingly hostile towards Connie over the past few days. The acts weren't obvious - 'accidentally' bumping him into the wall as they passed each other in the hallways, 'tripping over' his bucket while he was doing laundry - or, like today, dealing an unnecessary finishing blow. But they were clearly escalating in intensity, and they had to stop before the kid really got hurt.

_He's a complete idiot, but if he's going to die, at least he'd better do it facing a titan. Not while getting beaten up by a __**girl**__, for crying out loud._

Levi pushed open his office door and let her in before shutting it firmly behind them. "Sit," he barked, inclining his head towards the lone chair in front of his desk.

She shuffled over and sat down stiffly on the edge of the seat, while Levi took his position on the opposite side of the desk facing her and crossed his arms. He could only think of one thing that might be causing her to act out at Connie.

"Alright Ackerman, spit it out. What has Springer done to Eren?"

Mikasa paused for a moment before answering. "…I beg your pardon?"

"I said, what has Springer done to Eren?"

"… I am not sure what you are talking about, sir."

Levi scowled at her. _Stubborn bitch._ He had known that it wasn't going to be easy to get a straight answer out of her, but he had neither the time nor the patience for such evasive maneuvers.

"I am not in the mood for pretenses, Ackerman. I am asking you what that twit has done to your precious brother, and I want an answer **now**."

Another pause. "Nothing sir. Connie hasn't done anything to Eren," she said. Her unblinking expression only served to infuriate him further.

_That's it._ Levi slammed both palms on his desk. "I said I do not care for your petty charades, **Miss Ackerman**," he ground out impatiently. "I am giving you one last chance to tell me what has happened between Springer and Jaeger, or so help me I'll drag your brother's sorry ass in here and – "

"**Eren** has nothing to do with this," she interjected sharply, her dark eyes suddenly alight with fury. "Go ahead and question him if you like. But I would suggest that next time, you check your facts properly before making outlandish conclusions, **sir**." Silence hung in the air as she stared him down, daring him to act on his previous threat.

Levi frowned. _I thought for sure it had to do with that brat. _But apparently it did not; she wouldn't willingly be inviting him to question Eren otherwise.

He shifted back, bringing both hands to rest on his hips. "Fine. Let's say I accept that Eren is not involved," he said, surveying her carefully. "That still doesn't explain why you've been picking on Springer these few days. **Don't** play stupid with me," he warned, as she started to interrupt him again. "I've been watching you and your paltry attempts to punish him for I-don't-know-what. So tell me, what exactly has he done to piss you off so badly?"

Mikasa sat forward angrily. "He – " she began, but then she stopped. His eyes bored into hers, continuing the interrogation as he waited for her to carry on.

And then suddenly, she turned away, breaking eye contact. Lifting a hand to her scarf, she pulled up the edge to bury her nose in the fabric and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Levi quirked an eyebrow at her._ What is this...?_

He continued to watch as she slouched in her seat; it looked like she wanted to curl up into herself and disappear. _And what… is she… __**blushing**__?_ He stared at the bright patches of color that were beginning to creep up her cheeks, peeking out from behind the dark strands of hair that fell haphazardly around her face.

Now he was completely dumbfounded. Mikasa Ackerman, emotional brick wall to anything other than Eren, was sitting opposite him and flushing like a teenager. Which she was, really. He racked his brains for an explanation.

"Don't tell me… you could possibly be… attracted?… to Springer…?" he ventured hesitantly. _Maybe she's the type of girl who expresses her affection through violence?_

"**NO WAY.**" Her eyes snapped back up to him, horrified, and then down again just as quickly.

_No, of course not. Connie is much too dim-witted for her. And too short_, he added disdainfully.

_Unless..._

A thought occurred to Levi just then. He eyed her as he considered this new hypothesis.

_Highly unlikely, but I suppose I could test it out. At the very least it will provoke some sort of reaction from her stubborn ass; I'll never get to the bottom of this otherwise._

Reaching into the pocket of his pants, he pulled out a key and unlocked the top drawer of his desk. He shuffled its contents around a little before extracting a single piece of paper and, placing it face up on the desk, slowly pushed it towards Mikasa.

"I confiscated this from Springer three days ago," he stated flatly. He observed her face closely as her eyes first widened in shock, then narrowed into a glare as her cheeks burned impossibly brighter.

He did not need to say anything else; her reaction told him everything.

"That perverted **freak**. I'm going to **kill** him, I swear," Mikasa muttered very, very quietly. Levi blinked twice, letting this revelation sink in.

_Oh?_ He blinked a third time._ Ohohoho. _

Had Hange been in the room, she would have noticed the subtle change in his aura and the predatory glint in his eye. The girl presently before him, however, was too busy staring at the ground to care.

_Hmm... I am going to have a __**lot**__ of fun with this one, all right._

Stepping out from behind his desk, Levi lazily circled his prey, keeping his eyes trained on her. Stopping directly in front of Mikasa, he placed one hand on either side of her chair, trapping her in her seat; then pushed his face right up against hers, forcing her to meet his piercing gaze.

"Does something like... _that_... make you… **uncomfortable**...?" he queried. She tried to turn away, but he shifted with her and leaned in even closer, until she could feel the hot puffs of his breath against her jaw. Moving upwards, he deliberately placed his lips just outside the shell of her ear and murmured, "...or does it make you feel... something _else_... **Mi. ka. ****sa**?" He smiled into her hair briefly as he heard her breath catch at the mention of her name.

Abruptly and without warning, he pulled back upright, crossing his arms and assuming the posture of a disciplinarian once again.

"It shouldn't make you feel anything; it's just a lousy drawing," he said shortly, looking down at her as if nothing had happened. "Your treatment of Springer is unacceptable and unprofessional. There will be no more of this passive-aggressive shit from you. Is that understood, Ackerman?"

Mikasa gaped, then stuttered, cursing herself and him all at the same time. "Y-yessir."

"You're dismissed."

Rising abruptly, she pushed past him and stormed out the door. But not before shooting him a look that clearly said that rather than Connie, she now wanted to kill _him _instead.

Alone in his office, Levi finally allowed himself to smirk openly. However, his satisfaction faded more quickly than expected. As realization dawned, his smug grin rapidly turned itself upside down into a frown.

"Tch."

Reaching over, he flicked on the fan at the corner of his desk, and closed his eyes while he allowed the breeze to cool his heated face.


End file.
